2.0tdi or 3.0tdi ?

alijames

alijames

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Hi Guys,

Currently an 8L S3 owner, but I think the time has come to change it for something I can get the old folks in, and looking at a B7 or possibly a B8 A4 Diesel Quattro Saloon.

There seem to be plenty of 3.0tdis around at the monent for reasonable money, and was looking for opinions on whether it's worth going for this over a 2.0tdi 170 Quattro?

I do around 10-12k a year and around 70% of those are a 20mile each way trip to the golf club on B roads, with the rest being mainly motorway cruises to the Lake District. I like the overtaking oomph of my S3 so would prefer not to lose too much of this, and want to keep Quattro for the winter, as the S3 has been excellent in the snow and leaves.

Should I stick to the 2.0tdi Quattro and take the extra economy, with the loss of grunt, or is the 3.0tdi the one to go for? Is there a large difference in economy between the two? Having done some googling, the general opinion seems to be 3.0tdi ~40mpg, 2.0tdi Quattro ~45mpg. Does this seem about right?

Finally, if anyone has one of the above for sale around the £10-11k mark, drop me a PM...

Cheers,
 
If I could go back in time to when I was buying mine I'd have gone for the 3.0 tdi and taken the hit with economy. I have the 2.0 tdi 140 which is remapped so it will be similar to the 170 and there just isnt enough grunt. Like you I came from a turbocharged petrol car which had plenty of pull and loads of fun so now I'm just bored!

The economy is nice though!

Just noticed your sig... I also had an "Ace" but mine was the faster silver and black version!!
 
Don't get a 2.0 170 until VAG have sorted out the injector issues, this is an ongoing problem. See the injector thread on the forum. From perosnal experioence, the injectors have failed even when replaced with new (same make) ones.
 
No B8 owners have come forward with this issue, all so far have been 2006 and early 2007, so I seriously doubt the B8s are affected.
 
I would go 3.0 tdi quattro, I get 39mpg from mine and it's hoot!
After all there is no replacement for displacement!:):)
 
Thanks for the comments so far folks. Insurance wise, 3.0tdi would be around £30 cheaper than the S3, and 2.0tdi another £30 less than that, so not a lot in it.

39mpg average for the 3.0tdi sounds reasonable. What do you folks get from a 2.0tdi 170 Quattro?

Cheers
 
alijames said:
Thanks for the comments so far folks. Insurance wise, 3.0tdi would be around £30 cheaper than the S3, and 2.0tdi another £30 less than that, so not a lot in it.

39mpg average for the 3.0tdi sounds reasonable. What do you folks get from a 2.0tdi 170 Quattro?

Cheers
Click to expand...

Im surprised you get 39 mpg with the 3.0 TDI as i only get 40 mpg with the 2.0 TDI 170 Quattro. This is mostly motorway miles and i dont dry with the foot down all the time either.

There are threads on here discussing MPG for the 2.0 TDI 170 Quattro and I haven't seen many registering MPG above 40-45.
 
I have a 2.0 170 non-quattro and get 41 normally and have gotten 45 driving like a granny.
 
My 3.0TDi Quattro Tiptronic does 45mpg on the motorway. Performance is fabulous, and refinement is decent too. You can never have too many cylinders, and four just isn't enough.
 
I have 2.0 tdi 170 and its crap on fuel. 39mpg back and 4 to work 15 miles 1 way.. if I was buying another I'd have a 3.0 and get more grunt for my mpg and probably easier to drive slowly than the 2.0 as it has more torque. tax is more expensive and insurance but go for the 3.0.
 
Yes tax is a bit dearer on the 3.0tdi at £235 / year and rising, but isn't everyones tax going up???? Whats a hundred quid between friends.

I was going to go 2.0 170 before I got my 3.0. hearing those mpg figures for the 170, glad I didn't ..... Mine is manual and I am amazed at jdp1962 getting the same MPG as me with a tiptronic version.
 
bdub said:
Mine is manual and I am amazed at jdp1962 getting the same MPG as me with a tiptronic version.
Click to expand...

Why? All modern auto boxes have a torque converter lock-up, so in a steady-speed motorway cruise, my auto box will be equally as efficient as your manual.
 
alijames said:
What do you folks get from a 2.0tdi 170 Quattro?
Click to expand...

I've put 4500 miles on mine in 3 months. Roughly 50% motorway, 40% A and B roads, the remainder town and local stuff. Overall average has been a shade over 40mpg (measured brim to brim for each tankful, not relying on the DIS, which is actually reading a bit lower than that at 39.3mpg average). Best has been 47mpg on a 150 mile motorway run, though motorway trips are usually around 42-43mpg. Mixed A and B road driving tends to result in mid to high 30s.

It's not great, but about what I expected from the official figures. Plenty of people moaning about the 2.0 170 economy, but high 30s / low 40s is what it's supposed to do (in quattro form, at least). It's still a decently quick car in real world terms, and that - plus 4x4 is what you're paying for at the pumps. The 3.0 arguably sounds like a better trade-off between performance and economy, but I decided it was just a step too far for me. YMMV :D
 
alijames said:
Hi Guys,

Currently an 8L S3 owner, but I think the time has come to change it for something I can get the old folks in, and looking at a B7 or possibly a B8 A4 Diesel Quattro Saloon.

There seem to be plenty of 3.0tdis around at the monent for reasonable money, and was looking for opinions on whether it's worth going for this over a 2.0tdi 170 Quattro?

I do around 10-12k a year and around 70% of those are a 20mile each way trip to the golf club on B roads, with the rest being mainly motorway cruises to the Lake District. I like the overtaking oomph of my S3 so would prefer not to lose too much of this, and want to keep Quattro for the winter, as the S3 has been excellent in the snow and leaves.

Should I stick to the 2.0tdi Quattro and take the extra economy, with the loss of grunt, or is the 3.0tdi the one to go for? Is there a large difference in economy between the two? Having done some googling, the general opinion seems to be 3.0tdi ~40mpg, 2.0tdi Quattro ~45mpg. Does this seem about right?

Finally, if anyone has one of the above for sale around the £10-11k mark, drop me a PM...

Cheers,
Click to expand...

No question really, do you want a rep mobile or something abit different?

I was in the same boat 2 years ago and i went for the 3.0 V6 TDi Quattro TDV.

Best decision i ever made, still have great economy almost 300bhp in a diesel with 4 wheel drive!!

Obviously with the 2.0 you WILL get better economy, but the 3.0 is more fun to drive, plenty of power on tap and V6 sounds great!.

Oh and 3.0 is alot more reliable as the engine is very strong and has the RS4 clutch
 
Last edited:
Dazmo said:
No question really, do you want a rep mobile or something abit different?

I was in the same boat 2 years ago and i went for the 3.0 V6 TDi Quattro TDV.

Best decision i ever made, still have great economy almost 300bhp in a diesel with 4 wheel drive!!

Obviously with the 2.0 you WILL get better economy, but the 3.0 is more fun to drive, plenty of power on tap and V6 sounds great!.

Oh and 3.0 is alot more reliable as the engine is very strong and has the RS4 clutch
Click to expand...

Cheers for the feedback Daz.

I've now decided to move house, so the car change will go on the back burner until new abode is found and sorted.

Just have to use my dad's Scooby when I visit...

(Sadly it's a Forester. He sold the Imprezza 5 years ago!)
 
Over about 15,000 miles I've averaged 39.77 mpg on my 2.0 tdi 170 quattro, highest 44.9, lowest 34.8. Mostly 79 mph motorway journeys with the cruise on. All courtesy of Road Trip, an iPhone app.
 
I had same dilemma, there is only fuel savings to be had in this change, my 12 yrs no claims and no points makes a tiny difference in insurance, therefore the 3.0 is a no brainer and a top qualirty engine when compared to the 2.0

The dilemma is no longer a dilemma, im going for a 3.0 unit without doubt!
 
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Hi,

New member as I'm leaving BMW after 15 years.....long story....

So is a 2008 plate B8 3.0 TDi 240BHP affected in this injector saga.

It looks like no!!

regards.....
 
audi upgrades
phew.... thanks..but good luck to the pre 57 170 bhp members.....

just a thought as Toyota squeezed a 180bhp from a 2litre and the normal block engine ran on 150bhp.....they had no issue's.
 
As I understand it there is a problem with an oil seal on the injector loom. Oil gets in and the system shuts down to prevent damage. A new loom and injector(s) is required.

A friend of mine had 1 go, it was swapped FOC, car lasted 4 weeks before a second one failed, think Audi did the remaining 3 the second time. Quite inconvenient especially if it happens a long way from home!
 
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